While most of new 1" sensor enthusiast cameras have been on the shorter end of the focal length spectrum, there are now quite a few long zoom models, as well. Whether you want something pocketable or want to shoot for the moon (pun intended), you'll find it in this group.
There are plenty of other long zoom compacts out there, some offering focal ranges reaching 2000mm though they almost always use much smaller 1/2. 3" sensors (the Olympus Stylus 1s is one exception). The larger sensors used in the cameras in this roundup completely eclipse those models, especially when it comes to image quality and control over depth-of-field.
The models we're looking at in this article include:
Canon PowerShot G3 X
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500/FZ2000
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100/TZ100
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 III
With the exception of the Panasonic ZS100/TZ100, all of these cameras are pretty hefty, so don't plan on stuffing those into a pocket. Focal ranges are all over the map, ranging from 200mm on the Sony RX10 I/II to 600mm on the Sony RX10 III and Canon G3 X. The vast majority of these cameras shoot 4K video, with some having more controls than others.
To further help you pick the right camera in this class, we've created the chart below, which breaks down the equivalent aperture for each camera, as you work your way through the zoom range. Our article here explains the concept of equivalence, but at a high level all you need to know is that the lower the line is on the graph below, the blurrier the backgrounds you'll be able to get and typically, though not always, the better the overall low-light performance.
LensEquivalentApertures(["Equivalent focal length (mm)","Panasonic FZ1000","Sony RX10 II","Canon G3 X","Panasonic ZS100","Sony RX10 III","Panasonic FZ2500"], [[24,null,"",7. 6363636363636367,"Sony RX10 II at 24mm: F7. 6",7. 6363636363636367,"Canon G3 X at 24mm: F7. 6",null,"",6. 5454545454545459,"Sony RX10 III at 24mm: F6. 5",7. 6363636363636367,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 24mm: F7. 6"],[25,7. 6363636363636367,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 25mm: F7. 6",null,"",null,"",7. 6363636363636367,"Panasonic ZS100 at 25mm: F7. 6",6. 8181818181818183,"Sony RX10 III at 25mm: F6. 8",7. 9090909090909092,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 25mm: F7. 9"],[26,7. 9090909090909092,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 26mm: F7. 9",null,"",null,"",7. 9090909090909092,"Panasonic ZS100 at 26mm: F7. 9",null,"",null,""],[27,null,"",null,"",8. 7272727272727284,"Canon G3 X at 27mm: F8. 7",8. 1818181818181834,"Panasonic ZS100 at 27mm: F8. 2",null,"",null,""],[28,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",7. 6363636363636367,"Sony RX10 III at 28mm: F7. 6",8. 1818181818181834,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 28mm: F8. 2"],[30,8. 1818181818181834,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 30mm: F8. 2",null,"",null,"",8. 7272727272727284,"Panasonic ZS100 at 30mm: F8. 7",null,"",8. 454545454545455,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 30mm: F8. 5"],[32,null,"",null,"",null,"",9. 0,"Panasonic ZS100 at 32mm: F9. 0",null,"",8. 7272727272727284,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 32mm: F8. 7"],[34,8. 454545454545455,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 34mm: F8. 5",null,"",null,"",9. 2727272727272734,"Panasonic ZS100 at 34mm: F9. 3",null,"",null,""],[35,null,"",null,"",9. 5454545454545467,"Canon G3 X at 35mm: F9. 5",null,"",8. 7272727272727284,"Sony RX10 III at 35mm: F8. 7",9. 0,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 35mm: F9. 0"],[36,null,"",null,"",null,"",9. 5454545454545467,"Panasonic ZS100 at 36mm: F9. 5",null,"",null,""],[39,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",9. 2727272727272734,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 39mm: F9. 3"],[41,8. 7272727272727284,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 41mm: F8. 7",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,""],[43,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",9. 5454545454545467,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 43mm: F9. 5"],[47,9. 0,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 47mm: F9. 0",null,"",10. 90909090909091,"Canon G3 X at 47mm: F10. 9",null,"",null,"",null,""],[49,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",9. 81818181818182,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 49mm: F9. 8"],[51,9. 2727272727272734,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 51mm: F9. 3",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,""],[56,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",9. 5454545454545467,"Sony RX10 III at 56mm: F9. 5",10. 090909090909092,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 56mm: F10. 1"],[58,9. 5454545454545467,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 58mm: F9. 5",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,""],[60,null,"",null,"",12. 272727272727273,"Canon G3 X at 60mm: F12. 3",null,"",null,"",null,""],[63,9. 81818181818182,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 63mm: F9. 8",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,""],[69,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",10. 363636363636363,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 69mm: F10. 4"],[70,10. 090909090909092,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 70mm: F10. 1",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",10. 636363636363637,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 70mm: F10. 6"],[79,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",10. 90909090909091,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 79mm: F10. 9"],[81,null,"",null,"",13. 636363636363637,"Canon G3 X at 81mm: F13. 6",null,"",null,"",null,""],[84,10. 363636363636363,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 84mm: F10. 4",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,""],[91,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",11. 181818181818182,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 91mm: F11. 2"],[100,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",10. 90909090909091,"Sony RX10 III at 100mm: F10. 9",null,""],[102,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",11. 454545454545457,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 102mm: F11. 5"],[105,10. 636363636363637,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 105mm: F10. 6",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,""],[144,null,"",null,"",null,"",15. 818181818181818,"Panasonic ZS100 at 144mm: F15. 8",null,"",null,""],[151,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",11. 727272727272728,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 151mm: F11. 7"],[157,null,"",null,"",null,"",16. 090909090909093,"Panasonic ZS100 at 157mm: F16. 1",null,"",null,""],[163,null,"",null,"",15. 272727272727273,"Canon G3 X at 163mm: F15. 3",null,"",null,"",null,""],[170,10. 90909090909091,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 170mm: F10. 9",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,""],[200,null,"",7. 6363636363636367,"Sony RX10 II at 200mm: F7. 6",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,""],[208,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",12. 000000000000002,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 208mm: F12. 0"],[250,null,"",null,"",null,"",16. 090909090909093,"Panasonic ZS100 at 250mm: F16. 1",null,"",null,""],[262,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",13. 090909090909092,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 262mm: F13. 1"],[300,10. 90909090909091,"Panasonic FZ1000 at 300mm: F10. 9",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,""],[480,null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",null,"",13. 090909090909092,"Panasonic FZ2500 at 480mm: F13. 1"],[600,null,"",null,"",15. 272727272727273,"Canon G3 X at 600mm: F15. 3",null,"",10. 90909090909091,"Sony RX10 III at 600mm: F10. 9",null,""]])
With its constant aperture (F2. 8) lens, the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 I/II capture more total light and offer more control over depth-of-field compared to its peers, by 1 or 2 stops. The trade-off is that its focal length caps out at 200mm equiv. The Canon PowerShot G3 X and Sony RX10 III have the longest lens, with the latter being about 2/3-stop faster once hitting around 100mm. The Panasonic FZ2500 splits the difference between the G3 X and RX10 III.
And with that out of the way, let's get right into exploring the enthusiast long zoom cameras!
. dpreview.com2016-11-15 19:40
